Development of atherosclerotic plaque with endothelial disruption in Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbit aortas

To better understand the morphogenesis of atherosclerotic plaque, we evaluated temporal distribution of leukocytes, macrophages, foam cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and subendothelial lipid in Watanabe heritable hyperlipedimic (WHHL) rabbit aortas. Aortas of WHHL (n=20) and New Zealand White (NZW, controls; n=8) rabbits were perfusion fixed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of age. At initial gross evaluation of lipid distribution, we identified aortic areas at high risk for lesion development. In WHHL rabbits, the lipid-positive portion of high-risk areas increased from 3% at 1 month to 50% at 12 months; during the same period, adherent cell count increased from